My house: Arianne Levene Piper, art consultant

I work as an art consultant so it’s natural for me to incorporate painting and sculpture into my home. I have some lovely pieces hanging in my living room. One bright abstract painting, which I picked up at the Frieze Art Fair, is by a major contemporary Japanese artist called Shinro Ohtake. I first saw his work in Japan and he also had a show at Parasol Unit last year. I’m completely in love with it, wouldn’t part with it for the world. Another is a small Bridget Riley painting from 1986. It’s a privilege to have work by such an important British artist, particularly a work from this period. It works so well with the flat’s modern interior. I came across it when I was buying another Riley for a client a few months ago: this is one of the pitfalls of the job – it can be hard to resist!

 

My husband and I used to live in west London but we wanted to be closer to Mayfair where we spend most of our time. Two and a half years ago we took the plunge and moved to Bayswater. Eventually we settled on a 1960s block next to Hyde Park, which was a big step for me because I grew up in a more traditional-style Georgian House in north London. My natural inclination was to go for a conversion as I was desperate for high ceilings, but my Parisian husband was used to lateral apartments and he was keen to live in a modern build. I’m a total convert. It’s light and airy, perfect for displaying art. There’s no sound from the neighbours and we’ve even got an east facing balcony, which is lovely in the mornings. I’ve enjoyed furnishing it in the same style as the building, with Italian, American and European 1960s furniture, all of which happen to be in vogue at the moment.

 

The area has a great mix of cultures. Many houses are owned by British families, but it’s also popular with Asian and Middle-Eastern families, cultures with which I have a close affinity because of my work (I’ve curated a number of shows with artists from those regions and also have a lot of clients in the Middle East). We’ve only been here two years but it’s changed a lot in that time. Many of my friends – including people in the art world – are moving to the area because of the location. I can go west to Holland Park, east to Mayfair, north to Primrose Hill. In all directions, something wonderful is close by.